At a gain
by princessed
Summary: What happens when Zatanna finds herself pregnant at 16. Takes place between season 1 and season 2. Translated fic.
1. Pregnant?

Hello. This is a translation from one of my fics in French.

Disclaimer: I did it for fun, not for money. No copyright infringement intended.

 _At a gain_

In the bathroom of Mont Justice, Zatanna was pacing up and down. She still had to wait one minute for the pregnancy test to work. One minute… Well, at least it gave her time to think about what had happened.

Dick and she were no more a couple but they had remained friends. They were even _very_ close friends. Actually, they met at least once a month in one place or another, they took off their clothes and had a good time, and then they talked about the last mission, the next math lesson, they high-fived each other and left. Some people enjoy playing tennis or scrabble with their ex. Dick and her were sex buddies.

The problem was, she had felt a bit nauseous lately. First she had put it down to that toxic cloud they had all breathed during the last mission, and then to the 100% vegetarian, 0% edible meal Garfield had kindly cooked the day before. And then she remembered the sex ed lessons: condoms were not always 100% safe. Damn! Had she fallen pregnant?

That idea made her _so_ upset. She was only sixteen, after all. Her mom was away and her dad was the host of a Lord of Order, which made him completely unavailable. She could hardly imagine herself giving birth to a baby and raising it while still at high school. And what would Dick say when he'd learn about everything? Oh, what to do?

Her mobile phone ringed, which meant the five minutes had passed. She grabbed the stick and let out a groan of rage. Two traits. The test was positive. She was pregnant!

Oh, what to do?!

 _To be continued..._


	2. Let's talk about it!

Zatanna decided to tell Artemis about it. They were friends after all, and she could hardly imagine Artemis being judgemental. She found a way to have some time together in her room and told her everything. Artemis listened quietly, nodding from time to time.

"So", Artemis said when her friend was done speaking, "you're pregnant and you don't know what to do, that's it?"

"Yes!" Zatanna said. "I mean, there are so many possibilities!"

"I can only see three. You have an abortion, you get it adopted or you keep it."

Zatanna thought about for some time. Then she gaped:

"Listen, I don't know… I, most of the time, I know what I want but… Well, you see, my dad… If he ever…

"This is _your_ life", Artemis said. "Not your dad's."

"I know. It's just that he has always been a little bit… uptight, you see? When he had to explain me how babies are made, he just put a book into my hands and he was blushing so much! That's how I learnt about sex ed: by reading a book!"

"And school?" Artemis asked.

"A catholic school. One hour for explaining reproduction, one hour for listing all STDs, ten hours for preachy stuff and "never before the wedding". How horrible!"

Zatanna burst into nervous laughter. Artemis laughed too and added:

"If you wanna know, my dad was not better. My mom was serving time when I had my first period. I thought I had an internal bleeding and I went to the hospital alone. He laughed like mad when he learnt about it and he made fun of me for a week!"

"What a jerk!" Zatanna said.

"Yeah. But what about you? Do you wanna keep it?"

Zatanna thought about for a while, and then shook her head.

"No. I don't see myself as a teenage mom. To be honest, I'm not even sure that I want kids later. A baby needs attention. I can't imagine myself going to school, bottle-feeding, helping the team saving the world and then going to the pediatrician, and so on. I'm already snowed under now so I can't imagine what it would be with a baby.

"Then do you wanna have it adopted?"

Zatanna tried to close her eyes and tried to imagine how a whole teenage pregnancy would feel. There would be nausea, vomiting, anemia, cramps, pain, mood swings, pregnancy mask, fatigue, weight gain and other things that she couldn't even imagine. People would stare at her in the street and mothers would tell her daughters: " _look, that's what will happen to you if you act like a slut before getting married_." And after those nine months, she may feel attached and have a hard time giving the baby to strangers. And what about her dad? Could she stand in front of Doctor Fate with a rounded belly and say: " _Dad, I'll have this baby adopted at birth because I feel too young for raising it. I know you love children so much and you'll never be able to hug your own grand-child, just because I had a condom accident. I know you're crying and you're so ashamed of me_!"?

"No", Zatanna said. "Adopted or not, it's still too painful."

"Then you may consider an abortion."

"Yeah. No. I mean, I don't know. I read on the internet that I may screw up my womb if I do that!"

"Then maybe the best would be to talk with a doctor", Artemis said. "And what about the father? Does he know?"

Zatanna stifled a giggle when hearing this. The word 'father' was so unlike Dick! She couldn't imagine him caring for a child, but it was his sperm, after all. She had to talk to him.

"Not yet, she said, hugging her friend. Thank you. Thank you for being so nice and listening to me."

* * *

One hour later, Zatanna found Dick in a coffee shop. He seemed equal to himself, that is in a good mood and slightly sarcastic. She had imagined a dozen different ways to tell him the news but she lacked the heart when she saw him and she sat down without a word.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant."

For a brief moment, the boy's face fell. Then he tried to hide his embarrassment, smiled awkwardly and ask:

"Oh. With who?"

Zatanna burst into laughter. She had expected Dick to do anything but joking about it! Actually, it was not really funny but laughing felt good.

"Well!" she said. "During the last few months, I had sex with Santa Claus, the Wizard of Oz, Rodulph Valentino, the girl who cuts my hair and you. That makes many potential fathers."

"OK!" he laughed. "But are you sure to be…"

"The test is positive."

"Oh. That's my fault."

Dick was feeling bad. He had been using the cheapest condoms he could find during every single intercourse with her. Now his friend was pregnant and he didn't know what to do.

"No", she said. "It was consensual, do you remember? I _wanted_ to do it. And now…"

"Will you keep it?"

Zatanna was silent for a moment. None of the solutions she had considered seemed really good. She evaded the question:

"What do you think?"

"It's up to you. Your body, not mine. Whatever you'll do, I'll support you."

"Well, do you imagine being a dad at sixteen?"

Dick shook his head. He would have to give up his hobbies, his free time or even his superhero activities. He couldn't even imagine how it would be. Maybe Bruce would agree to pay a pension to his "grandchild"'s mother, who knew? He would probably lecture him, even though someone who had relationships with Catwoman and Talia Al Ghul cannot pretend to be an expert in relationships. But how to know how he would react?

"Have you thought about the other solution?" he asked.

"I'll go to a clinic with Artemis to get information this afternoon."

"Would you like me to go with you?"

"Yeah", she said. "I really feel at a loss…"

"Well, we'll put you back at a gain!"

Zatanna burst into nervous laughter…

 _To be continued…_


	3. Looking for information

Artemis was waiting for them around the clinic. Several people were pacing and brandishing signs in front of the door. The three friends cringed when they read the signs. _Stop killing babies, abortion is murder…_ That wasn't going to be easy.

"We can come back later if you want", Dick suggested, adjusting his sunglasses.

"No", Zatanna said. "I want to know now."

She went to the door with her head held high. Almost immediately, an angry woman barred her path.

"Do not enter that temple of death!" she almost shouted.

Zatanna smiled politely and tried to get around her. The woman continued to bar her way.

"Do not enter that temple of death!"

Dick intervened:

"In ancient Greece and in many civilizations, temples were places where animals were sacrificed to please the gods. "Temple of death" is a tautology."

The remark didn't make the woman smile. She was glaring at Artemis and Zatanna in turn.

"Which one of you is pregnant?" she asked abruptly.

"None of your business!" Artemis said. "We can go wherever we want so you're going to let us enter!"

"Oh yeah?" another activist shouted. "Don't you think you better close those legs instead of opening that mouth?"

The guy didn't have time to dodge the punch. He found himself doubled over, moaning in pain. The others stepped back, none of them dared to fight back. The bigger a group is, the more cowardly their members are.

"Let's go!" Artemis said to her two friends. "We enter and we get information. It won't hurt anybody."

They had nearly entered the building when they heard a whiny voice behind them:

"But have you thought of your baby? Your poor innocent baby? He already has fingernails, teeth and eyes! He cries when you cry and he has feelings! He calls you mommy! He can even do math problems, write poetry, dance and sing in your belly! How can you think of killing him?"

"What do you think they've been smoking?" Dick asked while the receptionist was gesturing them to come.

* * *

The doctor was a calm and composed bespectacled woman in her forties. Zatanna liked her immediately and explained her briefly why they were here while Dick and Artemis were waiting in the corridor and the activists were howling louder. After a blood test and a pelvic exam, the girl asked the question that was burning her lips:

"Please, how much time do I have to take my decision?"

"Legally, in this state, the time limit is twelve weeks", the doctor said. "When did it happen?"

"My period is one week late."

"Three weeks, then. You have plenty of time."

"I'm not sure about what I want to do", Zatanna said. "What happens during an abortion?"

"There are two possible procedures. With the medical method, you have to absorb a tablet to expel the egg."

"What about the other way?"

"The aspiration method. It requires anesthesia, your cervix dilated and an aspiration. Are you afraid?"

"I was operated for appendicitis when I was six", the girl said. "I'm not afraid of hospitals. But is it going to make me sick or sterile or anything?"

The doctor put her hand on hers and smiled sweetly.

"Of course not. Complications are rare. There are many women who have children after an abortion, and who love them!"

"And what if I decide to keep it?"

"It's up to you. Your body, your choice."

Zatanna looked around the room. There was a picture of two smiling children on a corner of the desk. She remembered something and she asked:

"One more thing… does this embryo have fingernails?"

The woman burst into laughter.

"Fingernails? Come on! There are no fingernails, no teeth, and no complicated organ at three weeks! It is a cluster of cells of two millimeters, fingernails are formed much later! These people really do not know what to invent..."

"I'm pretty sure my dad wouldn't like me to do that…"

"You're not your father, you know?" the lady said sweetly. "You're big enough to take this decision."

"Thank you", Zatanna said. "I'll go back home and think about, then."

"Do you have someone to go with you?" the doctor asked.

"Two friends. They're waiting for me outside."

The three friends left and had to pass the angry activists again. Then Dick asked:

"What do we do now? Hey, isn't it Raquel?"

Indeed, Raquel Ervin was standing a few steps away. She was staring at the door of the clinic with what appeared to be a mixture of fear and determination. Zatanna glanced at his two friends and asked:

"How does she know about…"

"We didn't tell her anything", Artemis said. She must be here by accident. Hey, Raquel!"

She waved at her across the street. After a few seconds, Raquel crossed and went to meet them.

"Hi", she said. "I can see that…"

"Yeah", Zatanna said.

"I hope you're not going to judge me."

"Judging you? Well…"

The three friends were silent for a moment, and then they realized that Raquel wasn't spying on them. She was pregnant, too! Artemis glanced at the other two and spoke:

"You want to enter and get some information, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"The most difficult thing is entering without being insulted!" Dick said. "Once you're inside, it gets better."

"Yeah", Zatanna said. "I just talked with one of their doctors. She's great."

"Are you pregnant, too?"

Zatanna nodded and hugged Raquel briefly. Then all four of them turned around and rush into the clinic.

"You should save lives rather than kill!" yelled an activist, blocking their way. "Superman would never do what you're doing!"

"As far as I know, Superman never found himself pregnant!" Dick said while pushing him gently away.

"Should we tell them how we saved twenty lives just last week?" Raquel risked while the door closed, leaving boos and insults behind them.

"No", Artemis said. "They won't even listen..."

 _To be continued..._


	4. Decisions

An hour later, the four friends gathered around a pizza. They really needed it after all these emotions. Raquel and Zatanna didn't speak much. They were still thinking about what had happened and ideas were slowly making their way in their heads.

"Did you take a decision?" Artemis asked while putting her plate away.

"Yeah", Zatanna said. "I'll go back to the clinic as soon as possible. I won't carry on with that pregnancy."

"Are you sure?" Raquel asked. "The more I'm thinking about it and the more I feel I want to keep it."

"I feel the opposite way. The more I'm thinking about it and the more I realize I can't carry on like that. Really, I can't."

Raquel nodded. She didn't want to take the same decision as her friend, and yet she understood her perfectly. They were different and they were making different choices in the same situation. Zatanna felt she couldn't carry on that pregnancy while Raquel wanted to carry on. That was simple.

"So we'll come back as soon as we can?" Artemis asked.

" _We_ 'll come back?" Zatanna repeated.

"Yeah, we!" Dick said. "We're not going to let you down _now_!"

"Thank you", Zatanna said. "But Raquel, are you sure you're going to be OK? Do you parents know? And what about your boyfriend?"

"They don't know yet. I guess it will be a bit of a shock. Well, I'll have to tell them anyway."

Zatanna patted her shoulder gently, quickly imitated by her two friends. In an instant, they found themselves with tangled arms and pieces of pizza stuck into their hands. It was weird... and deeply comforting.

"I'm going back home", Raquel said eventually. "I have to tell them."

* * *

A few days later, Zatanna found herself in front of the clinic again. She was early and furious activists were already pacing the sidewalk, which made her wonder if they had anything else to do. Raquel arrived shortly afterwards and Zatanna noticed she was holding a packet of biscuits in her hand.

"We'll eat these together afterwards", Raquel suggested.

"Good idea. I'm glad your parents are ok with it."

Raquel burst into nervous laughter.

"OK with it? My mom cried for more than an hour! Then she got a grip on herself. She even took me to buy baby clothes, and I'm only two months pregnant! It feels so weird!

"I guess you told the League, too", Zatanna said.

"I only told Black Canary. She didn't take it too badly. Did she tell you?"

Zatanna couldn't help giggling:

"No, but she went to see Miss Martian and she lectured her about contraception and how important it is to think before you do something important. Remember, Megan can modify her own organs at will to prevent conception! She told Artemis and Donna the same thing, too. I wonder who's lecturing the boys now.

"Ow!" Raquel said. "I bet the League is talking about nothing but that now!"

"Well, I bet they'll give you birth presents! They didn't expect it but they'll be OK with it, sooner or later!" Zatanna said optimistically.

"I sure hope so."

"What about your boyfriend?"

"He dumped me!" Raquel said bitterly.

Zatanna was stunned. Dumped? How could you dump someone in such conditions?

"That face he made!" Raquel added. "He looked as if I had slapped him! Then he told me that he was not ready to be a father, that I had no right to impose that on him, that I had fallen pregnant on purpose… Why would I have done that? Then he told me to choose: my pregnancy or him. I told him that I refused to have an abortion and he dumped me."

Raquel looked away and wiped a tear. Zatanna embraced her gently.

"You deserve better than him", she said.

"I know."

"Did you think of asking him for a pension?"

"Icon will probably sue him as soon as he knows", Raquel said. "Well, that's not what I care about. Why did he have to treat me like a slut instead of caring?"

Zatanna tightened her hug a little. They both knew what that gesture meant : _I'll be there for you if you ever need me_ _…_ Having a friend in that moment felt so good.

Eventually, Zatanna loosened her hug and noticed Dick and Artemis, who were appearing at the street corner. The four friends said hi and took their courage in both hands. Angry activists were already yelling at them, calling them murderers.

"If Shakespeare's mother had aborted, we would never have 'Romeo and Juliet'!" a teenage girl yelled while trying to block their way.

"If Hitler's mother had aborted, we would never have the holocaust!" Dick answered, walking around her.

The doors closed behind them and Zatanna went to see the receptionist, gave her name and explained she had an appointment. While the lady was checking the time of her appointment, she pondered a bit about what was happening to her.

OK, she was pregnant. And in a few hours, her pregnancy would be over. She didn't feel sad or ashamed, she was just really relieved. She knew that unlike Raquel, she didn't feel ready to be a mother or a pregnant teen and she had to put an end to it now. It was just an episode of her life.

The doctor called her name. After her medical sheet was read to her, after signing a few documents, Zatanna had the pills in her hand. The doctor handed her a glass of water and smiled.

"It will be all right."

"I know."

Zatanna swallowed the pill and put the glass back down on the table, perfectly calm.

 _To be concluded..._


	5. Epilogue

That morning, Zatanna was awakened by the ringing of her cell phone. Still half asleep, she crawled out of bed and looked at the name that was displayed. Megan. What did she want?

"Hello?"

"Zatanna? Were you sleeping?"

"Barely!" Zatanna said while stretching her arms.

"It's nine o'clock", the voice in the phone said, "so I thought…"

"My first mission with the League took much longer at night than I thought", she said. "What can I do for you?"

"I decided to make a surprise party for Amistad's second birthday. Would you like to participate?"

"Of course!" Zatanna said. "By the way, Captain Marvel had the same idea!"

"Did he?" Megan asked happily.

"Yeah! Would you like me to tell him so you can prepare your party together?"

Megan said yes and Zatanna hanged up with a smile. Everyone was fond of Amistad, which was really not surprising. Raquel's son was so endearing!

It was time to get up. Zatanna rummaged through her closet, looking for clothes for the day, and found a man's sock. Hey, the guy who had shared her bed the previous week had probably forgotten it in her room. Now that boy was possibly searching his own room to find his lost sock. There was also a box of condoms lying under the bed and Zatanna suddenly remembered what had happened almost three years ago, when she got herself pregnant at sixteen...

She had had the scare of his life but everything had ended well. Her pregnancy had been terminated, as she had wished. She had practically forgotten it, she had never had health problems and she was as fit as a fiddle. As Nightwing said, she was at a gain again. The big difference was, she was now giving birth control advice to the new team members. She was now very knowledgeable about it!

While grabbing a towel, Zatanna wondered what kind of present would be appropriate for a two-year-old baby. A building set, maybe, or an image book? Well, she just had to buy something with Megan and Artemis! She was late anyway: she just had time to take a shower before going to the college, where she was one of the best students, and then to the Watchtower in the afternoon. Oh, she was so busy!

Happily, Zatanna rushed into the shower.

 _The end !_

Author's note: this was my pro-choice fanfiction. You have the right to think everything you want about it. I just needed to write it. I live in a country where people who get pregnant are often told lies and/or guilt trips instead of accurate information. It makes me sad. My fanfic, my choice. :)


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